Bradley`s Magic Still Works In Overtime

PEORIA, ILL. — This is getting to be routine for the Bradley basketball team.

Fall behind, wait until there`s only a second left on the clock, then throw in the winning or tying shot.

``We`re a team of destiny,`` said Bradley guard Jim Les, ``but we work hard to get in a position to be a team of destiny.``

The Braves had to work overtime Thursday night at the Peoria Civic Center to beat Illinois State 67-63. It was Les` drive to the basket and layup that tied the game at 57 and forced OT, which the Braves dominated.

``I thought we were going to win it,`` said Bradley coach Dick Versace of his feelings before the OT began. ``There was no doubt in my mind we were going to win it.``

Versace had good reasons for his optimism. His ``Why worry?`` attitude is a product of three other last-second victories in the last month. Illinois State players, on the other hand, knew they were in trouble when the overtime began.

``You could see the disappointment on their faces (after regulation),`` said ISU coach Bob Donewald. ``They played their hearts out tonight. It`s a very disappointing loss.``

The Redbirds (9-8, 4-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference) were underdogs, but that never seems to mean much when these two rivals get together. Illinois State had won seven straight before Bradley finally beat ISU toward the end of last season. However, almost all of the games have been close.

But this apparently is the year of the Brave. Bradley is 19-1, 6-0 in the MVC and ranked 17th in the wire-service polls.

ISU led 31-29 after a first half in which both teams shot poorly (less than 40 percent) and defense prevailed. Neither team had more than a four-point lead throughout the second half.

ISU was up 55-52 with 49 seconds remaining when a three-point play by Bradley guard Hersey Hawkins tied the game at 55. Two free throws by ISU guard Todd Starks with eight seconds left put ISU up 57-55. But Bradley`s Les dribbled from halfcourt to the left side of the basket and put in the game-tying layup as the clock ran out.

``We run that play six or seven times a game,`` said Versace of the final shot. ``If he misses, we have our big rebounders on the other side of the basket. And if he`s fouled, he`s an 80 percent free-throw shooter.``

The overtime was all Bradley. Les contributed three points and center Mike Williams got inside for four.

Williams had a career-high 30 points with 6 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. ``In the overtime, I think the superior talent took over,`` said Donewald. ``The play of the guards offset each other tonight. The difference was we couldn`t control Williams.``

The even guard play was surprising because ISU had two freshmen, Starks and Mark Kraatz, starting against Bradley`s experienced pair of Les and Hawkins. The rookies didn`t look or act intimidated. Starks held Hawkins, who is averaging 20 points a game, to 12 points and Les had 13 with Kraatz guarding him. Les, however, also had 10 assists.

``The guy who surprised us was Starks,`` said Versace. ``We`d only seem him on film a couple of times. He took 18-footers and knocked them in.

``I want to give a lot of credit to ISU. They played hard and physical. I was very impressed with them.``

Starks, a 6-3 guard from Ft. Wayne, Ind., had a team-high 17 points and 9 rebounds. The Redbirds` 7-foot center, Bill Braksick, had 14 points and 9 rebounds. Braksick didn`t start for the first time this season, and when he finally got into the game he looked as though he had something to prove.

Versace, unimpressed with the officiating, worked hard at not criticizing the referees because a conference rule forbids it. ``We had a better chance of getting a call inside on the road than we had tonight at home,`` he said.